Did any of you guys see this....grr....

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I disagree with the continuation of the tradition as the method to do honor those who died.

See, the tradition never was honorable in the first place. In fact, it was flat out silly.

Don't give me "unity." Yes, it was a very large party, and many people chipped in to make it happen. So what? The entire underlying premise - the reason for all that wasted time, all those sleepless nights and subsequent failed tests, all the injuries and ultimately the deaths of 12 students - was nothing more than a silly play on words, and an over-hyped rivalry.

In no way do I wish to devalue those who died. My dismissal of Bonfire does nothing more to dishonor them than your desire to reinstate it does to honor them. Their respective values as people - as brothers, sisters, sons, daughters and friends - is found elsewhere.

I was discussing this with my wife, also a former student, and she made what I thought was a brilliant suggestion: build houses!

Imagine what all those man hours could do for a family! We're talking about changing lives forever, compared to a very large campfire lasting one night.

And, you still get to wear hard hats and tool belts. If you really miss the fire, you can pile all the scrap building materials together on the last night, light it up and get plowed just like before.

From the ashes of that irrelevant, hollow and now tragic tradition, make something honorable.

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Yes I saw it. I was complaining in class to everyone around me who would listen.

Yeah, same here, I don't even konw where to start this guy's letter made me that angry.

Ah yes, the old "replace Bonfire with Habitat for Humanity" crowd.

We already have Aggie Habitat. We already have Big Event.

Aggies do more than their share of service.

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From the ashes of that irrelevant, hollow and now tragic tradition...

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Any wagers on the number of cuts and stacks this guy attended?

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...light it up and get plowed just like before.

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Alcohol is strictly forbidden at Student Bonfire, but don't let facts get in the way of a good rant, I suppose.

[This message has been edited by Keegan99 (edited 11/22/2004 11:43a).]

same here. join habitat if you wan to build houses.

how about we take all the scrap wood from bonfire this year to his porch...



AND BURN THE HELL OUTA IT AGS!!!!

IDMA

There was a big push for building a bonfire out of scrap wood from Habitat about the time Unity Project started up...I'm guessing the origins are the same.

This isn't the stupidest letter I've ever seen in the Batt. But it's close.

Some people just don't get it. What can you say?

We are who we want to be. Bonfire is a special part of being an Aggie. I have nothing against any other service project that he has propose, as I participated in many such projects when on campus as a Vice-Chairman of the Interfaith Council, but the time and energy given to Bonfire is a special give back to those that have gone before to show that we remember, we care, and we are. His letter is sillyness.

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Alcohol is strictly forbidden at Student Bonfire

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Alcohol was supposedly forbidden at campus Bonfire too.

Funny.

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Alcohol was supposedly forbidden at campus Bonfire too.

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Except there was no access control point to the Polo Fields for enforcement.

I see where Texas Yell is going to be inside G Rollie. Time was that would not have begun to hold the thousands at Kyle for just an ordinary game.

Midnight will still be on the steps of the Capitol though.

Strange decision about Texas Yell.

This shows you how ridiculous the batt is. To post this letter is insane.

I hope to see a good reply tomorrow.

Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2006

I have to agree with William T. Lucy '99. Building houses would be a great substitute for Bonfire.

We could still have cut and make our own lumber. We could use all the wire instead to provide electricity. Hours and hours of effort to "Build the HELL outta the BIGGEST MANSION THE BRAZOS VALLEY HAS EVER SEEN...



and the night before the t.u. game...




BURN IT TO THE GROUND!!!

Build the HELL, Ags!



Bonz '02
"And on the eighth day, God created the Aggies."

I have a question. does this guy actually think that building a house would cost the same amount of money as building a bonfire? We're talking all aspects here, electrical, plumbing, interior, exterior, hell bonfire should be 20 stories tall with all that funding that would go into the house.

Folks, don't let the letter get to you. Those type folks were around in the 70's too. Ya'll did a great job and hope it will continue.

Gig'em

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There was a big push for building a bonfire out of scrap wood from Habitat about the time Unity Project started up...I'm guessing the origins are the same.

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This organization was separate from Habitat. The idea was just to build stuff, whether through Habitat or not, and then have an Ol' Army scrapfire type thing. It was recognized as a sponsored student organization and did very well its first semester (fall '03). It has since undergone extensive organizational changes and is now filing for reclassification, as the direction of the organization has changed significantly.

So in short, the idea was there and lots of people agreed with it, but not enough students got behind the idea with their effort to make sure that the bonfire aspect of the organization could withstand the discouragement that comes with every organization that is bonfire related. When you have to downplay the entire premise of the organization, it is hard to get student support behind it.

Was that in the Batt or something??

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And, you still get to wear hard hats and tool belts. If you really miss the fire, you can pile all the scrap building materials together on the last night, light it up and get plowed just like before.

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You can tell a lot from this quote. To this person Bonfire was all about people just acting a certain way, taking a few moments to pile up some scraps and burn it, and then get drunk.

This is the type of person who thinks Bonfire was something that happened on one night a year (Burn Night). It was a one day drunk fest for them. That is all it ever was for them.

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And, you still get to wear hard hats and tool belts. If you really miss the fire, you can pile all the scrap building materials together on the last night (A one day build...yeah, thats the same thing), light it up and get plowed(Not everyone who built it got plowed...but I bet this person did)just like before.

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IHO, the real problem with the scrap fire, as with fall activities council and old army fight fest wasn't that people weren't behind them, but that they were poor excuses for replacing Bonfire. People want Bonfire, and not a service project, a construction project, or a glorified yell practice. Cut, Stack, Burn, and all the smaller elements along the way.

There will always be those who don't understand that the only reason to burn it is to clear the land to start building it again!

I just think it's sad he didn't allow himself the opportunity to enjoy the life-long friendships that come from building Aggie Bonfire.

Keep it up, guys...Build the Hell!

This person sounds like one of the Berkley babies out in California.. Of course they cannot understand the tradition and of course they can't help but comment on things they have no real grasp or concept of. He might have gone to A&M but he obviously was out of touch with the traditions that so many of us hold dear.

[This message has been edited by Frisk151 (edited 12/15/2004 4:08p).]